NWRHA may have to pay worker $700,000

THE North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) is now faced with paying an employee close to $700,000 or letting the employee remain in the position currently held, reliable sources told Newsday yesterday.

Sources said that Jenny Gobin, the NWRHA’s Vice President (Quality) was hired as quality co-ordinator and a decision was later taken to reclassify that position to her current one which carries a monthly salary of $18,000. However, it was later discovered that Gobin’s position had not been advertised, but that it had been viewed as a lateral move since the position had been  re-designated from quality co-ordinator to Vice President (Quality). But, sources said, the situation became an issue when the matter was reported to the Public Services Association (PSA), who reportedly wrote to NWRHA chairman Patrick Watson saying that Gobin’s job should have been advertised.

As a consequence, sources said Gobin was asked to step down from her current position. Newsday learned that Gobin contacted her lawyers and the matter is now before the NWRHA board. Sources said when calculated, close to $700,000 will have to be paid to Gobin if she agrees to step down. The figure represents loss of earnings for two years, together with gratuity and other allowances. NWRHA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Lennard Jagessar confirmed that there is a matter involving Gobin before the board. “We are dealing with it and we don’t know what is going to happen but we hope the matter wil be resolved amicably,” Jagessar said via telephone.

The CEO said the authority has been sued. He said a decision had been made but declined to say what the decision was, stating that he could not breach the board’s confidence. However, former head of NWRHA’s Human Resource Committee, Stephenson Sarjeant said in an interview yesterday that the NWRHA met Gobin in the quality co-ordinator’s job. Sarjeant said in view of the new emphasis of the delivery of quality health care, there was a requirement to set up a division of the organisation. As a result, Sarjeant said, the job of quality co-ordinator needed to be redesignated to Vice President (Quality) and be reclassified to become part of the executive team. “It’s not an abnormal practice,” Serjeant said, pointing out that his stance was a principled one and that he did not care who has other agendas.

Sarjeant also said he could not think of a single case where reclassification was done and the incumbent had not assumed the position.  “It is an industrial relations principle,” Sarjeant said.